Dangers of Being Sighted During TimeTravel
by Nora Nadeshiko
Summary: A Time-Travel story unlike any you have read before or will ever read… Severus-Hermione [One shot].


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**SUMMARY: A very different kind of a time-travel story (well, as different as time-travel stories can be made). Severus and Hermione. One shot.**

_**DANGERS OF BEING SIGHTED DURING TIME-TRAVEL**_

_**:- Prof Hermione Snape**_

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Hermione felt cold ground under her feet and opened her eyes. All she could see right now was darkness. Her head was spinning and her body was aching. She felt weak.

With a light 'thud' she fell down.

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When she opened her eyes again, the sun was up in the sky but she was freezing. The pain in her body had subsided to an extent and she found that she was lying in the porch of a house which resembled 'The Burrow' in its structure. However, there was no garden near it but a mile or so away, she could sight the beginning of a dense forest.

_If you are travelling back in time, you should never be sighted._

She remembered the most important rule of time-travel and instantly cast a Disillusionment Charm on herself.

She wasn't here voluntarily. It was an accident. Her Time-Turner had turned out to be a faulty one. She discovered this when she felt herself going deeper and deeper in darkness with no indication of the swirling ever stopping while she ought to have been just two hours back in time with hardly even noticing anything. She must have travelled back _years_ in time.

So just to be on the safe side, she would first check out where she was.

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The inmates of the house seemed to be asleep as there was not a sound in the house but that of the rhythmic 'tick' of the Muggle clock in the kitchen. If the house didn't seem to be held together by magic, then she would have sworn that this was a Muggle place. There wasn't even an owl about.

She wondered if she could get something to eat here.

However, as she moved to open the cupboard in the kitchen, she heard footsteps and instantly pulled back her hand and stood still.

The door opened to admit a tall lanky boy dressed in black pyjamas. It won't have been anything to have had gasped about if the boy did not have black eyes, black greasy hair and a hooked nose.

But the boy did have the said characteristics and Hermione's breath caught in her throat as she saw the slightly smaller version of her fearsome Potions Master fix his eyes on her – or where she was supposed to be standing, she corrected herself. After all, she had cast a Disillusionment Charm on herself.

Yet she was so _sure_ that the boy was looking into her eyes. He looked shocked.

"Who are _you_?"

Hermione was startled.

"Who are you?" he repeated, a familiar scowl marring his smooth brow.

"How…? You can _see_ me! But…"

"Of course I can see you," he said, rolling his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

What should she do? Tell him the truth? _No_… that was impossible. She didn't want to make any complications in time.

_If you are travelling back in time, you should never be sighted._

But she had been sighted and now had to act very carefully.

"You have run away from your home, haven't you? That's why you are looking so scared."

She nodded. It was the best excuse presently. And if Snape thought so – for she had no doubts about his being Snape, what with the voice _and_ nose _and_ scowl _and_ hair _and_ all – she could as well go along.

"But what are you doing here?"

"I… I was hungry. There was no other way I could get anything to eat."

He laughed dryly. "There isn't much food to be got here today nor tomorrow. Go away. And if you get food back at your own home, then you might as well want to go back."

"I… _cannot_," she said, feeling very much at the end of her wits.

He raised an inquisitive brow. "Why not?"

She forced her imagination to produce something plausible. "Because they are all very… awful at home. I don't want to go back among them."

She saw a light of understanding in his eyes. And was there pity, too?

"It is more unpleasant here, so you might want to leave before you are spotted by that ogre upstairs and something bad happens to you. Not that it is _my_ business, but I don't want things to get more horrible than they already are. It doesn't make much of a difference but still… these things should be kept in family only. You understand?"

She didn't understand. But she nodded anyway.

"Go away before that bastard wakes up and starts getting mad at even the air he breathes."

"B-But… _where_ can I go?"

He glared contemptuously at her. "You ought to have thought of that _before_ you ran away, don't you think so?"

She was still having great difficulty registering everything that was happening. What was she going to do? Was she stuck here _forever_? Why wasn't her magic working?

Her helpless must have showed on her face because young Snape's scowl grew slightly less fierce and he beckoned her come closer.

She did so. She didn't even think. It was natural for her to obey her Potions Master. Instincts kicked in when her mind had seemingly stopped working.

"You are a powerful witch," he said, "I can sense it. You have your wand, right? Well, you can stay with me for some time. But I am leaving for my school in a week and then you will be on your own."

"Where will I stay?"

"In my room, _silly_ _girl_. Though it has nothing proper in it, it is large enough for both of us because my elder brother lived there when he was in England. Come on now, before that ogre wakes up."

She followed him simply because she didn't know what else to do. She knew that Snape had been very intelligent and a top student of Hogwarts. Maybe he could help her out of her predicament. Or maybe he could take her to Hogwarts with him and she could contact Dumbledore.

Many schemes passed through her mind one after the other as she followed Snape to his room.

As soon as the door closed behind her, she heard a crashing noise and then a piercing shriek.

Snape stiffened and then turned and ran up the stairs to the top floor.

She wondered what it was but dared not go in case there was anybody else would see her. Enough damage had been done for one day.

What followed was one of the worst experiences of her life.

There were incoherent shouts and sounds of things being thrown. It seemed as if a terrible fight was going on up there.

Someone screamed – a womanish scream – and then the unmistakable "Avada Kedavra" in a loud, murderous voice.

Hermione paled and sat down on the bed. What was going on? Had things really been so horrible with him? Had he died?

She was startled, but then calmed herself.

_Of_ _course_, _he_ _hadn't_. _He_ _had_ _grown_ _up_ _to_ _be_ _the_ _snarky_ _Potions_ _Master_ _who_ _hated_ _her_ _and her_ _best_ _friends_.

And yet, she did not reciprocate the hate. She… pitied him.

The door burst open to admit a furious and trembling Severus Snape. He locked and warded the door behind him.

As his eyes fell on her, he seemed momentarily surprised. Then remembering the first adventure of the morning, he nodded slightly and fell down to the ground.

Hermione went up to him, somewhat tentative.

"W-What happened to you?"

His eyes shot open and he regarded her with a strange look.

"What?"

"You're all scared and angry. What… happened? Are you all right?"

Hermione had questioned every- and any body before – many, many times. And yet, she had never felt so horribly like it was none of her business as she did now.

"You would feel that way, too, if you were in my place," he said coldly.

She took it as her clue not to ask questions about what had happened. She wondered what she ought to do. There was no physical wound on his body and yet, he was deeply scarred. With every step she took, she felt she was prying. Her own predicament was momentarily forgotten in consideration of the one she had never ever wondered or even known about. How could anyone's life be so, so horrible?

"Don't just stand there," he snapped at her.

"What ought I to do then?" she asked, ashamed of the helplessness in her voice.

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He thought for a moment and then pointed to a worn out bureau in one side of the room.

"There are some books there. Go and read. And if you don't want to read, then look at the pictures in them," he said scathingly.

She was offended, but consoled herself with the knowledge that he had probably known more of Lavender and Parvati sort of girls and did not know how different she was. So she silently took herself away.

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He had gone to bed after that.

She pursued the book for some time. But before long, she was staring out of the window. And then at him.

She remembered something from morning.

She took out her wand and pointed it at her broken watch.

"_Reparo!"_

Nothing.

She repeated the charm but with no better result. Frustrated, she threw her wand away and then after a few seconds, went to pick it up.

"What are you doing?"

She blushed slightly, realizing that he had seen her little tantrum and without a word went back to her corner.

He came up to her and fixed her watch with a swish of his wand.

"I thought you were a powerful witch," he said, more to himself than to her.

"I thought so too," she muttered involuntarily, glaring at her wand.

"Excuse me?"

"Er… nothing."

There was an awkward silence. Hermione stared at his scarred hand, twirling his wand and Snape stared at her watch which he had just fixed.

"What's your name?"

_If you are travelling back in time, you should never be sighted._

"I am… Virginia Green."

"You're a Mudblood," he stated dispassionately, as if he knew what a low thing being a Muggle-born was, but really didn't care.

She chose not to answer but moved away from him.

"I am a pureblood," he said, getting up, too, "my father always says… said," (a twisted smirk here) "that I was not to associate with your kind. I now know why, you can't even fix a damned Muggle contraption."

Hermione regarded him coldly. "I am so _sorry_ to be imposing my presence on you, Snape!"

And before long realized her mistake.

He realized it, too. His eyes narrowed and he pointed his wand at her throat.

"Okay, Mudblood, who are you? How do you know my name?"

"I am not scared of the likes of you. You… you…"

Before she could let out a string of profanities, there was a crashing sound from downstairs.

Snape paled and ran to the door.

This time, she decided to follow him.

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"I cannot, Severus," said the frail woman who was lying on the bed in the room where she had followed Severus in.

"You have to! You cannot give up! Not now!"

The banging on the door was repeated. Hermione looked angrily at her wand, and then at the door. Snape had placed some wards there, but she wasn't sure that they were strong enough to protect them.

She looked at the mother and son, wondering what was to become of them.

"Go, Severus! NOW!"

She has to be a pureblood, Hermione thought. She had only seen that determined and proud expression on the faces of Pureblood witches. People who placed their blood above everything else.

There was no emotion on Snape's face as he glanced up at her.

For a black moment, she thought that he was going to leave her there. That cold look in his eyes… what else was she supposed to think?

But he didn't leave her there. He pressed his lips to her mother's head and then ran up to her. As he enveloped her in a strong embrace, Hermione felt the world around her spinning.

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"Sandra must have notified the Aurors that I killed my father."

"Sandra?"

"My father's mistress," he said, his voice clearly showing his disgust for the woman.

"What's this place?"

"Just keep walking," he replied, turning around and pulling down her hood further, the one which he had transfigured from a dustbin lid.

"What… What about your… mother?"

"She'll be dead when they'll find her. A perfect family scandal. Everything ruined. What would you know? Mudbloods are always happier than us."

She tried to ignore his persistent use of the M-word.

"But…"

He stopped suddenly and she ran into him.

Gripping her arms tightly, he said, "Stop. Asking. Questions. – you are driving me mad – I already have a severe headache. Let me think a way out of this!"

She nodded meekly, realizing quite how angry he was, and asked no more questions until they had gotten a room in a very questionable-looking inn in Knockturn Alley.

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"Can't we go to Hogwarts?"

"And how precisely will we reach there? By a broomstick?"

Hermione paled. If there was one thing she passionately hated, it was flying.

"No… there are other ways. What about Floo Powder?"

"Don't be thick. Dumbledore will know. He'll hand me over to the Aurors as soon as I step in Hogwarts."

"Well, you can explain to him what happened and if it isn't your fault…"

"It is. The killing curse was cast by me. I am of age. They can easily send me to Azkaban."

"But…"

"Look, Green, I know what I am doing and I don't think that going to Dumbledore is an option. Hell, I don't think that I will ever return to Hogwarts."

Never return to Hogwarts? How was she supposed to meet Dumbledore then? Board the train to Hogwarts by herself? But somehow, she didn't want to leave Snape like this here. Sure, she had no obligation to stay, but she didn't just want to leave now.

She decided to come clean with him.

"Snape, I have to meet Dumbledore."

He looked up with a raised brow. "Have to?"

"Yes. It's important."

"So that's why you want me to go to that old coot?"

Hermione shook her head. "Yes and no. Dumbledore will help you if you are honest with him, Snape. He'll trust you, believe me."

Snape laughed mirthlessly. "Dumbledore is nothing but a partial Gryffindor. He does not care about us Slytherins."

"That's not true," cried Hermione.

"Trust me, I know. I have… experience."

Hermione didn't understand, but by the harsh look on his face, it was something pretty serious.

"But you can go to Dumbledore. Only if you tell him about me, I'll kill you."

He glared hard at her.

Hermione returned his glare. "I am not a tattle-tale and I will most certainly not leave right now."

"What?"

"You… you helped me. I am not going to just… just leave you. I want to help you, too."

He regarded her with some surprise.

"If you were ever to be sorted, then you'd be a Gryffindor. They are bloody noble. But the fact remains that I certainly don't need your help. So you can go your way and leave me to mine."

There was silence between them after that.

Before going to bed that night, he told her, "The Hogwarts Express is due to arrive in three days. We've got to reach the King's Cross then. I'll charm you to look like a first-year. Then you can meet Dumbledore and tell me whatever that is you've got to tell him. And by Merlin, if you tell him about me…"

"… you'll kill me," she completed for him.

That was the first time she had ever seen Snape smile – even if he did smile wryly. There was no threat in the curve of his lips.

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They were standing in a side-street.

"Here we are. You know how to get on the platform, right? It is nine and three-quarters. You board the train. There'll be a half-giant to receive you. You don't have to talk to anybody if you don't want to. I'd advice you to stay clear of Potter and his gang… they are Gryffindors and downright nasty, and remember…"

Hermione giggled.

"What?" he asked, scowling at her.

"You sound so like my mother."

He frowned and pursing his lips in a very McGonagall-like way, pointed his wand at her face first.

"Wait a minute."

She stepped up to him and pressed her gold bracelet to his hand.

"What's this?"

"A parting-gift – so that you don't forget me."

"Why would I want to remember you? I can't take it. Take it back."

"Severus…"

He hid his surprise well and she didn't realize that she wasn't supposed to know his first name.

"I thank you for everything you have done for me and for all your help. You've been as good as a friend. I'll never ever forget you. Please, I want you to take it."

He looked away from her.

"It's too costly," he muttered.

"It's my favourite. I want you to have it. Charm it to look like wood if you want to, but please take it."

He looked incredulously at her, then at the bracelet in his hand.

They stood silent for some time, avoiding each other's eyes.

Then suddenly, he stepped up to her. Her heart almost stopped beating as she looked into his eyes.

He bent down and kissed her tentatively on her lips. Before he could pull back, however, she put her arms about him and kissed him back passionately.

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"It's time for you to leave."

"I guess so."

He put the appropriate glamour charms on her so that she looked like a small first-year.

"Goodbye, then, Severus."

He nodded slightly.

"I'll not forget you either, Virginia," he said, looking after her as she made her way to King's Cross. "And I'll wait for you. Please come back to me."

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It had been easy thence. She had not joined those going to Hogwarts. She had hidden until everyone was gone. Then she made her way to Hogwarts.

She had waited outside Dumbledore's office, praying that nobody came here before Dumbledore. Especially not Peeves. She didn't want to draw any attention to herself. She had already broken most rules in the book.

Her prayers had been heard.

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She hadn't told Dumbledore her name, from where she was or any other details. Just what had happened to her. He had listened gravely, and then told her that he would get her an advanced time-turner if she would agree to take Veritaserum.

And now, with the promised time-turner in her hand, she stood in his office.

"You must be very intelligent, wherever you are from," he observed.

She smiled.

"Did you meet any other people?"

"Just one."

Dumbledore frowned.

"Are you living at this point of time?"

"No. There are still some years to go before I am born."

He heaved a sigh of relief. "Well, then, no great damage has been done. Since you have no existence right now, nobody – not even I – will remember seeing you. I suppose this person you met helped you with the charms? Yes, I can sense it. If you haven't taken birth until now in this world, then it means that your essence-magic has not been born. Without it, no one can perform magic."

She processed all this very fast.

"I'll go now," she said, putting the time-turner around her neck.

"Goodbye, my dear, I hope we meet in future."

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Her favourite golden bracelet was lying on the floor beside her. She could have cried. He didn't remember her. He had nothing to remind him of her. He would be lonely and desperate and would turn into a Death-Eater.

She did cry then.

It felt as if her heart was breaking into two. Her heart… which she had hoped to leave behind with him had been thrown back, broken.

A desperate attempt at saving the boy whom she had begun to like.

A failed attempt was more like it…

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The greatest danger of being sighted during time-travel, she observed, wiping her tears and removing the glamour charms, was that you end up in love with the person you hate.

And he… he doesn't even know it… won't ever know it…

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It was her graduation day. She had been through hell for the past few weeks – every time he looked at her, every time he asked her a question, every time he insulted her…

She had never looked into his eyes, though. She had always looked anywhere but at his eyes. She didn't want to see the hate in his eyes. The last emotion she wanted to remember those eyes to have was love. She didn't want his hate to kill it.

She was now standing outside his office, gathering courage to go in and demand his signature on her college form.

Somehow, she didn't want to be alone with him. But she had to do this.

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"I was wondering when you would deign to come in," he remarked, his eyes fixed on the book he was reading. "What do you want?"

She explained her purpose.

She took out the form and held it out to him.

He finally looked up and…

Stared at her hand. Just kept staring as if it was something he wasn't sure he was seeing. She was quite sure that it was not her form but her hand. More precisely her wrist. Her wrist with the bracelet.

"Where did you get that, Granger?" he asked at last, staring incredulously at her.

"You… you remember it?"

And that was when she hoped. Hoped with every fibre of her being that he remember her. Hoped that he loved her so much as to let all laws of magic be insignificant in comparison to his love.

He looked into her eyes.

She was sure that it was recognition she saw. A miracle of love.

"Virginia…"

He did remember her, then…

Her heart was beating fast. She was sure that she would burst with happiness. All that time, he had remembered Virginia Green… all that time he had loved her… still loved her…

"You're alive."

"It seems so, Severus…"

He stiffened.

He looked down, took the form from her hand, signed it and shoved it back towards her.

"That will be all, Miss Granger."

"Severus," she said desperately, "please… I have missed you. I love you. I thought you had forgotten me… that's what Dumbledore said… I…"

"Miss Granger, you must understand that I must put a stop to your delusions. Please, leave."

"You know me, Severus, and you love me. Why are you doing this to both of us? I know you love me still. I can see it in your eyes."

He stood up abruptly and fixed a cold look on her. "Because it's wrong. A married man is not supposed to love another woman."

She didn't know how long she stood there… staring into his eyes… seeing her desperation and disappointment reflected in his own.

"Leave, Hermione… please go away."

She had never heard him sound so broken. It brought her back to harsh reality.

She ran away from there, knowing that she'd never return here. Ever.

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**THE END**

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**Don't forget to review, folks! And I'd be obliged if you read and review my other one-shot.**


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